Flexible shaft-coupling



' G. I. RATHBUN.

FLExmLE SHAFT couPuNG.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 17| 1915.

Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

.IIIIIIII K GEORGE J., RATHBUN, 0F TOLEDO, OHIO.

FLEXIBLE SHAFT-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. ang, is, rete,

Application filed August 17, 1915. Serial No. 45,931.

To all {Lc/tom ai may concern; Y

Be it known that I, GEORGE J. RATHBUN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Flexible Shaft-Coupling; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others sln'lled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification,

This invention relates to a coupling for shaft sections arranged end to end and from one to the other of which power is transmitted through the coupling, said coupling being of a flexible nature whereby to compensate for any departure Within certain limits of the adjacent shaft ends from axial alinement.

The primary object of my invention is the provision of an improved coupling of the character described which is simple and eicient in its construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and is of minimum size while embodying. a maximum of strength, all of A which qualities are very material to the prowith lthe vision of a commercially practical article of this class.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, and while, in its broader aspect, it is capable of embodiment in numerous forms, a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure l is a central horizontal section of a coupling embodying my invention applied to the sections of the shaft. Fig. 2 is an end view: thereof with one-half of the coupling in central vertical section. Fig. 3 is a plan of the coupling with parts broken away and axes of the coupling members slightly displaced from alinement, and Fi 4 is a perspective view of one of the laminated coupling bars.

Referring to the drawings, 1 and 2 designate two shaft sections which are disposed in alined or substantially alined positions.

he coupling for connecting the shaft ends is made 1n two substantially duplicate body sections 3, 3 fixed to the ends of the respective shafts by keys 4, orI in any other suitable or convenient manner. Each body sec?,

`tion 3 preferably comprises a hub portion 5 and an annularfweb 6, which latter encircles and is preferably spaced from both ends of the hub.` This web has'its outer edge broadened outwardly with relation to the other section 3, or annularly enlarged, as at 7, and this enlargement is provided with a plurality of closely arranged radially disposed peripheral recesses 8, which recesses are of equal depth and preferably equal in length to the width of the enlargement 7 as shown. The side walls of each recess are parallel and in planes which fall on opposite sides of the hub aXis and are tangential to a common circle describedabout said axis. The bottoms of the recesses 8 are outwardly inclined so that the recesses are gradually'increased in depth from their outer ends inwardly.

The body sections 3, 3 of the coupling are connected by a circular set of flexible bars 9, each of which is of laminated form, being made up of. a plurality of thin sprin -like metal strips. The bars 9 seat at their ends in registering recesses 8 of the respective coupling members and are of suitable width, or composed of a suficient number of strips, to ll each recess widthwise thereof. The bars 9 are also of a length to extend very nearly to the outer ends of the recesses which they connect when the coupler members are in normal or parallel positions.A A positioning of the bars 9 in the manner shown with the laminae disposed substantially in radial planes 'permits the bars tov have a flexing action in the direction of rotation when rotation is communicated through said bars from one member 3 to the other, thus preventing the communicating of a sudden shock from one coupling member to the other when the 4driving shaft section is suddenly stopped or started,

The bars 9 are held in the recesses 8 by collars 10, one of which fits around the periphery of each4 coupling member 3 and is provided at its outer end with an annular inturned Bange 11, which closes the outer ends of the recesses 9 in the respective coupling member and is secured to the outer end of the enlargement 7 by screws l2, or in any other suitable manner. The collars 10 bear loosely at their outer edge portions against the respective outer ends of the bars 9 with sufficient pressure to hold the ends of the direction, while the inner side of each collar is partially cut away or recessed inwardly from a point adjacent to the point of gripping of the bar ends, as at 10, to permit an outward oscillating movement of the bars relative to the associated member 3.

When the parts of the coupler have been assembled and positioned on the shaft sections 1 and 2 the space between the coupling members is packed with' grease to lubrieate the relatively movable parts of the coupler and such grease is retained within the coupler by a flexible retaining strip 13 of leather or Vother suitable material, which extends across the space between the inner edges of the collars 10, 10 and is secured at its edges to said collars by wire bands 14;, or in any other suitable manner.

It is evident that the portions of the coupler members 13, which are connected by the ars 9, are a considerable distance apart so as to permit a exing ofthe bars 9 when a rotary strain is applied from one coupling member to the other through the bars, and also that the 'bars are permitted to have limited radial oscillatory movements relative to each member 3, whereby to compensate for an departure from alinement of the axes o the shaft sections, which departure may occur by reason of a slight altering, during use, of the relative-posi tions of the machines to which the respective shaft sections are connected, or by reason of the original mountings of one or the other of the connected machines being slightly out of true. The provision of the recesses 8 materially facilitates the manufacture .of the coupling, as it is a simple and easy matter to mill the edges of the members 3 to form the recesses, and the forming of the recesses in this manner enables them to be closely positioned so that a large number of recesses can be disposed within the peripheral portions of the coupling members. The provision of recesses having parallel side walls also enables the recesses to be filled with laminations forming thebars 9 so that the coupling will be provided with a maximum number of such laminations.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form-of the parts as it is j ries of circumferentially spaced transversely extending recesses in its periphery, said recesses having parallel side walls, iiexible coupling bars of laminated form mounted at their ends in and transversely filling the respective recesses of said members, and means for securing the bars in the recesses of each member.

2. In a coupling of the class described, a

pair of coupling members adapted to be secured to the adjacent ends of two shafts, said members having transversely extending peripheral recesses with the side walls of each recess parallel, flexible bars of laminated form connecting said members and mounted at their ends in respective recesses thereof, said bars having sufficient laminas to transverselyll the recesses, and collars lsecured to said members and encircling the recessed peripheres thereof to retain the bars within said "recesses, said bars being mounted to have limited radial oscillatory movements with respect to each member. v

3. In a coupling of the class described, a

` pair of couplmg members adapted to be secured to the adjacent `ends of two shafts,

saidmembers having a plurality of transverselyextending recesses arranged in circumferentially s aced order in the peripheries thereof, Hrxible bars of laminated form connecting said members and mounted at their ends in registering recesses of the members, said recesses having parallel side walls and the bars being of sufficient width to fill the recesses, a collar secured to and encircling each member and serving to retain the respective end portions of the connecting bars in the recesses, said A"collars cooperating with the bottoms of the recesses to grip the connecting bars at the respective ends only thereof whereby said bars are permitted to have limited radial oscillatory movements relative to each member.

4f. In a coupling of the class described, a

.pair of couplinmembers adapted to be secured to the a acent ends of two shafts, said members having transversely extending recesses in their peripheries, iexible bars of laminated form connecting said members and mounted at their ends in register-- -mg recesses 1n the members, a collar encircling each member and serving to retain the respective ends of the flexible bars within the recesses, said collars having annular 111-'- wardly projecting flanges at their outer ends which close the outer ends of the recesses,

messes means for securing said collar flanges io the outer sides of the respective membeis, said recesses being radially educed in depth at their outer ends and the inneil side of each collar being recessed opposite t-heinner end portion of said recesses 'no permit said bars to have limited radial oscillatory movements felaive to each member, and flexible means connecting the adjacen edges of said collars for closing;- the space siieiebetween.

in testimony whereof, have hereunto signed my name to this specilicationI GEORGE J. RTHBUN. 

